Nurses and teachers credited for helping reduce teen pregnancies

School nurses and teachers in Wales are being credited with helping drive down teenage pregnancy rates.

According to the latest data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS), the number of 15-to-17-year-old girls falling pregnant in Wales has fallen by almost ten per cent over the past year.

More specifically, while Wales still has a higher rate of teen pregnancies than England, Merthyr Tydfil no longer holds the dubious honour of being the national hotspot for the phenomenon.

Welcoming the news, the Royal College of Nursing attributed the decline to a rise in the number of school nurses available to secondary school pupils in Wales, with these working alongside teachers to offer sex education.

The professional body's Sue Thomas explained: "Within Wales there has been a big drive towards an increased school nursing system", with these specialists offering "confidential and friendly" advice to pupils in a familiar setting.